Enjoy this much-anticipated and always exciting announcement of SAF’s annual Marketer of the Year. For the 30th year, this award recognizes unique, innovative, and successful marketing efforts by a floral company. This year’s winner will receive $5,000, sponsored by Design Master, a division of Smithers-Oasis, and be featured on the cover of the September/October issue of Floral Management.

Speaker: Kate Penn, CEO, Society of American Florists

SAF CEO Kate Penn tees up the convention with a high-level overview of the state of the floral industry. Based on the most recent floral industry data, SAF member surveys and dozens of interviews with industry leaders across all sectors, Penn details the high and low points of the past year, challenges and opportunities going into 2025, and what SAF is doing to help the industry address them. 

Speaker: Charlie Hall, Ph.D., SAF’s Chief Economist, Ellison Chair for Floriculture, Texas A&M

Is a recession still looming? Do consumers still have savings to spend? Will loan rates improve? In his keynote presentation, SAF’s Chief Economist Charlie Hall, Ph.D., delivers all the details you need to prepare your business for growth.  

Panelists: Charles Ingrum, AAF, Dr. Delphinium Designs & Events, Corrine Heck, PFCI, Details Flowers Software, Carlos Oramas, The Gems Group, Inc.

Moderator: Brian Kusuda, Jimmy’s Flowers

Delve into the culture DNA of successful organizations and uncover the hidden forces shaping your workforce, threats to your company culture, and the key to ensuring that your culture is serving employees your brand and your growth objectives. Don’t settle for a mediocre culture. Take control and build a workplace that thrives!

You’ll learn:  

• How to discover your company’s unique personality – even if it’s hidden in plain sight  
• How feedback and recognition, empowerment and collaboration cultivate a thriving environment  
• An understanding of how a focus on results and impact shapes your company’s culture and success, inside and out  

Speakers: Doug Bates, AIFD, CF, CFD, Designs by Vogts, Cameron Pappas, AAF, Norton’s Florist, Kelsey Thompson, AIFD, CFD, Bloom Floral & Home Studio

Drowning in rising costs but feel squeezed by low margins? Join this design-driven workshop to learn how to create high-margin holiday recipes that squeeze every drop of profit for your business. Expert speakers will help you increase productivity and efficiencies for cost-savings; demystify the difference between markups and margins, set prices that protect your profits and cover labor, and master cost control. Don’t let rising costs drain your profits during the holidays!  

You’ll learn:  

• Pricing formulas for today’s economy that can be applied to holiday arrangements.  
• How to maximize productivity during the busiest times of the year with recipes  
• How stuffing and going “off recipe” drains profits — and how to avoid it  

Panelists: Maris Angolia, AAF, Karin’s Florist, Kevin McCarthy, Family Flowers, John Richards, DV Flora

Moderator: David Armellini, AAF, Armellini Logistics

Armed with economic insights from SAF Chief Economist Charlie Hall’s keynote, progressive floral businesses will share how they will use that information to prepare their businesses for 2025 and beyond. 

You’ll learn:  

• Strategies to grow your business.  
• Insights on expectations for sales in the fourth quarter and 2025  
• What progressive businesses are doing to set themselves apart.  

Speaker: Ian Prosser, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, NDSF, Botanica International Design & Décor Studio

Join Ian Prosser, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, NDSF, renowned floral designer, for a 20-minute showcase. Discover the versatility of Accent Decor’s ceremony stands and explore innovative ways to use the same product to create stunning event decor. Learn tips and tricks to maximize your design potential and elevate any ceremony with style and elegance.

Panelists: Stephanie Cutts, Expressions Unlimited, George Clements, George’s Flowers, Keith Rockcastle, AAF, Rockcastle Florist 

Moderator: Christine Guenther, WildFlower Stem + Sundry

Have your sympathy sales been slipping? Are the tactics that earned you sympathy business a decade ago no longer working? This insightful panel discussion unveils the secrets to building trust, creating value, and securing profitable partnerships that thrive. Industry veterans share effective strategies to connect with funeral homes, establish rapport, and nurture lasting relationships. Don’t just survive in a crowded market — gain the knowledge and strategies to forge strong relationships and unlock a sustainable relationship. 

You’ll learn:  

• How to craft revenue share programs that incentivize funeral homes and boost your bottom line  
• How to level up your services to stand apart  
• How to complement your funeral home relationships with direct-to-consumer marketing tactics  

Speaker: Carlos Muina, Petal Productions 

Ready to take your business to the next level? Join us for an inspiring and practical session with Carlos Muina of Petal Productions, who’s transformed his passion project into a thriving enterprise by streamlining efficiencies, building a dream team and developing lucrative relationships with vendors. In this session, Carlos will reveal the key strategies he used to scale his business.  

You’ll learn:  

• Systems and processes that save time and resources, allowing you to take on more clients.  
• How to recruit, manage, and empower a talented team to deliver exceptional floral experiences  
• Best practices for working with vendors to land more business.  

Speakers: Oscar Fernandez, Michael Pugh, AAF

SAF leaders give the lowdown on what SAF is doing for you — and the industry – and how it will continue to meet the challenges of the industry in this ever-changing business environment. Find out the winner of the People’s Choice in the Outstanding Varieties Competition.

Speaker: Gregory Offner

In this unforgettable keynote, former dueling pianist turned award winning speaker Gregory Offner reveals three principles of engaging experiences and demonstrates the steps to adapt them for your team. Using these three principles, organizations can generate more engagement, deeper commitment, and better performance from your team. 

Panelists: JP Varvarigos, Wellington Florist, Ben Heroman, Billy Heroman’s Flowerland, Inc., LaToya Ferguson, Sweet Psalms Florist

Moderator: Kaitlin Radebaugh, AAF, Radebaugh Florist and Greenhouses

Customer service is having a post-Covid renaissance. In fact, 93% of customer service teams say customers have higher expectations than ever before. In this session, a dynamic panel of high-end, every day, and small business retailers share how they enhance service in-store, online and over the phone with customer-first policies and technology that enhances customer service. Learn how to exceed your customers’ expectations and set your business apart.  

You’ll learn:  

• How to use a POS system to better serve customers.  
• Technology that can expand services, such as delivery tracking.  
• How to train your staff to use the right communication online and offline  

Panelists: Michael Black, Jet Fresh Flower Distributors, Angelique Witcher, Accent Décor, Inc., Lenny Walker, Kennicott Brothers

Moderator: Lori Wilson, PFCI, Flower Clique

How deep is your bench? Who’s taking over when your best employee leaves? In this session, hear firsthand from successful managers about how they ensure their business is training upcoming leaders to produce a strong team that’s ready to step up to the plate.  

You’ll learn:  

• How to delegate effectively, build trust, and empower your team for collective success. 
• How to identify employee strengths, passions, and development needs with practical tools  
• How to identify key areas for leadership development, such as managing or decision-making, and gain tangible tools to equip your young leaders.  

Speaker: Kristy Chenell, Family Business Consultant

Ensuring a smooth transition of leadership from one generation to the next is a critical challenge for family-owned floral businesses. This session goes beyond the financial aspects of succession planning to address the emotional complexities involved, including how to have open communication and identify expectations — and approach transitions with empathy.

You’ll learn:

• How to manage the emotional challenges faced by both the outgoing and incoming generations during leadership transitions
• The importance of empathy and open communication in navigating family dynamics
• How to identify and address the root causes of conflicts that can arise during the transition process

Speaker: Amy Balsters, The Floral Coach

Join Amy Balsters of The Floral Coach®, award winning floral design educator, for this jam packed design presentation for quick tips to help you elevate your design work with skills you can apply right away.

With a focus on color theory and the principles of design, Amy will showcase multiple varieties of her favorite delphiniums and how to build a better bouquet. You will learn tangible techniques for how to utilize these dynamic line flowers and elevate them into something truly special!

Speaker: Steven Dyme, Flowers for Dreams

Today’s customers like to talk with their wallets, and nearly 80% of Americans feel a deeper connection to a brand with values similar to their own. How do companies tap into that? With authentic cause marketing. Learn how one floral business has built purposeful profit into its business model, forging meaningful partnerships with charities to build connections and brand loyalty — and drive sustainable growth.

You’ll learn:

• How to identify potential causes that are a good match for your brand and customer base
• How to leverage your company culture to enhance your cause marketing efforts and build trust with customers.
• How to navigate pitfalls and cultivate genuine messaging that resonates with your brand and audience.

Speakers: Erin Bruno, McNamara Florist & Design Center, Megan Gerace, Gravity Free

Dive into the world of video, including Reels, and unlock their potential for your business! This engaging session empowers you to create captivating video that captivates audiences, pleases algorithms and drive results. Watch seasoned social media gurus demonstrate the process of creating a video — from the recording to the final touches — and uncover essential tools and techniques to help you polish your creations.  

You’ll learn:  

• How to identify your message and target audience to craft video with laser focus  
• Actionable strategies to plan, shoot, and edit Reels that get noticed.  
• How to tap into trending topics and formats  

Panelists: Monty Pereira, Watanabe Floral, F.J. Trzuskowski, Continental Floral Greens, Dr.-Ing. Esteban Muñoz, Fresh-o-Fair, and more panelists to be announced. 
Moderator: Amanda Solliday 

More than 50 percent of consumers would be willing to pay more for floral products from companies that practice sustainability. Where are you on your sustainability journey? Learn more about a new, research-driven collaborative initiative that’s creating user-friendly, guides and resources to help businesses assess where they are on the sustainability spectrum and how they can enhance their sustainable practices.    

You’ll learn:   

• What sustainability factors influence consumers’ willingness to buy (and pay more for) floriculture products.  
• How to prioritize your sustainability goals in a way that makes sense for your business  
• Easy to use guidance on composting, lighting energy conservation and more.  

Speaker: Deborah De La Flor, AIFD, PFCI, CFD, De La Flor Gardens

Get ready to breathe new life into classic holiday designs! Deborah De La Flor, AIFD, PFCI, CFD, a floral design powerhouse, will guide you through a creative exploration of non-traditional color palettes for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day arrangements. Learn simple design tips and tricks enabling a designer of any skill level to easily replicate the arrangements, and leave feeling inspired to create unique and eye-catching floral designs that will set your shop apart!

Panelists: Valerie Crisostomo, Black Girl Florists, Ralph A. Giordano, Jr., AIFD, CFD, CEJ, FSMD, Giordano’s Floral Creations, Michelle Jones, Flowers by Michelle 

Moderator: Danny Sanchez, South Florals Group

Unrealistic customer demands chip away at the value of otherwise profitable corporate accounts. Learn how to attract and service corporate accounts on your own terms. Hear from retailers with a robust B2B business how they convert prospects into regular accounts and turn a profit through transparent contracts, automatic invoicing, and appropriate pricing.   

You’ll learn:  

• Proven strategies to reach decision-makers, build strong relationships, and create win-win commission programs.  
• How to leverage corporate accounts for lucrative holiday gift-giving opportunities  
• How to keep scale your corporate account work on your terms. 

Some of the best learning happens when you get together at a table with your floral industry peers – from all segments. Come enjoy this relaxed roundtable idea swap – and be ready to share ideas about how to take some of the marketing and management ideas you heard in earlier sessions to the next level.